Surviving My Father’s KPIs

My father was a senior HR executive.

He used KPIs to define my life.

"Rank top ten in your grade, and I'll give you a B, with a bonus of 250 dollars.

"Place in a state-level competition, and you'll get an A, with a bonus of 500.

"If your SAT score hits Ivy-level, I'll give you an S+ and a 5,000-dollar year-end bonus."

I studied as if my life depended on it, and in the end, I got the acceptance letter.

My father slapped a contract down in front of me instead.

"Congratulations on onboarding into the next phase. Starting today, your allowance will be structured as base salary plus…